Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 273 Yang Mi's Heartbreak

Seeing Hu Jun, who was somewhat dejected after failing the audition, join the crew, Zhang Dahuzi verbally comforted him, but inwardly he was very happy, as his "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" crew could film as scheduled.

Having gained experience from his previous two adaptations of Jin Yong's novels, he was very confident in this adaptation of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," striving for excellence in every aspect, including location shooting, action scenes, meticulous costumes and props, dedicated performances, and distinctive actors.

Especially in terms of casting, he felt he had done a very good job. Not only Hu Jun, but also when he thought about Wu Yuchen calling to say that he had picked Shu Chang, the bearded man was a little tempted to change Shu Chang's role. It was too much of a waste for her to play the role of the Heavenly Child Granny.

Wang Yuyan? The bearded man shook his head. The role had already been promised to Liu Qianqian. The young woman not only had a powerful background, but her image and temperament were indeed quite suitable; otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily given such an important role to someone else. Actually, he originally wanted to cast Yan Danchen as Wang Yuyan, but then Liu Qianqian stepped in and took the role.

Actually, Shu Chang's age is very suitable for playing the clever and cute Zhong Ling. However, if she plays Zhong Ling, who should be cast as Tianshan Tonglao? This role is not easy to play. Those with acting skills are too old, and those who are too young lack acting skills. It is already not easy to find someone like Shu Chang.

After some deliberation, the bearded man decided against changing Shu Chang's role. The character had a significant amount of screen time, and a good performance would leave a lasting impression on the audience. However, he also considered that since Shu Chang was already in Wu Yuchen's film, he probably didn't need his popularity; he might even need Shu Chang to help promote the film.

Well, I can tell the story of how all the actors in my crew were attracted to Wu Yuchen, which worried him so much, as a way to promote the show. The audience will definitely love to hear it!
The casting of this character, played by the bearded man, caused quite a stir. The role of Duan Yu even saw an online poll, with Lu Yi, Huang Haibing, and Ren Quan among the top choices, sparking heated debates among netizens. This brought a smug smile to the bearded man's face; this is one of his usual publicity stunts.

In fact, he had already decided on the casting, Qiao Zhenyu from F4, but he would only announce it to the public when filming began. Given F4's popularity across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, it would likely satisfy most people, and Qiao Zhenyu's appearance and temperament were quite suitable for Duan Yu.

As for Lin Zhiying, who had contacted him, he had considered her, especially since Lin had become popular again after "The Legendary Twins." However, the investor for his "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was Miracle Films, so naturally they would prioritize casting their actors. How could Lin Zhiying compete with that? Besides, F4's appeal was no less than Lin Zhiying's.

The bearded man from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is still working hard on various hype and promotions, and has even hyped up Wang Yuyan to the point of associating her with a Korean actress. Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, has no such intention at all. At his current level, he doesn't need to do any publicity or hype.

A large group of media outlets surrounded his film crew, trying to get information about "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," but he basically ignored them. The reporters, however, were tireless, recording and reporting on the various actors coming and going, and even crowding around to interview them about their audition experiences.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was busy auditioning for another important role. Gong Li had previously asked him about dramatic conflict and tension. Actually, in this film, the most direct manifestation of evil isn't the protagonist's father, but rather another young adjutant character—the young officer whom the older sister has feelings for. His presence also increases the tension and conflict throughout the film.

In the original film, he was portrayed as a German SS soldier who was particularly vicious towards Jews because his father had fled to Switzerland. Here, he is naturally portrayed as a Japanese soldier, a fanatical figure obsessed with Japanese militarism, spouting the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere while simultaneously despising Chinese people as an inferior race.

There are a few requirements for this role: a young, handsome, and rugged appearance, while also being able to portray the character's ruthless and cruel side.

There were many people auditioning for this role; male actors under 30 who thought they were qualified all applied. However, in the end, only a few people actually came to Wu Yuchen for an interview: Liu Ye, Chen Kun, Wu Yanzu, and Huang Xiaoming.

Liu Ye and Wu Yanzu both had a physical advantage, being relatively tall and robust. However, Liu Ye was the first to be eliminated by Wu Yuchen…

Despite his towering height of 186cm, this guy's acting style and approach since his debut have consistently focused on melancholic youths and naive kids. Whether it's "The Classic," "Postmen in the Mountains," or "Lan Yu," it's all the same formula. His portrayal of truly ruthless villains is rather lacking.

He then ruled out Chen Kun, not because of his acting skills, but because, like Wang Zhiwen, he was too thin and his overall style was somewhat effeminate, which differed from what Wu Yuchen was looking for. He felt that Chen Kun and Wang Zhiwen would be very suitable for playing spies, but they seemed a little lacking in the role of soldiers.

Finally, Wu Yuchen was choosing between Wu Yanzu and Huang Xiaoming.

To be honest, Wu Yanzu's physical attributes are impeccable; his looks, height, and physique are all perfectly suited for the role. Wu Yuchen has no doubt about his acting skills...

However, Huang Xiaoming really surprised him this time. It seems like this kid has finally figured things out, as his audition for the role of a Japanese officer was excellent. Moreover, due to his F4 training, he's now in great shape and has a rather rugged demeanor, making him perfectly capable of playing an officer.

This reminded Wu Yuchen of Huang Xiaoming's role as the Japanese soldier Takeda in "The Message" in his previous life, which was also a very good performance and can be considered one of the peak moments of his acting skills.

However, what finally made Wu Yuchen decide was Huang Xiaoming's fluent Japanese.

"Xiaoming, when did you learn to speak Japanese?"

Hearing Wu Yuchen's question, Huang Xiaoming immediately replied, "Director Wu, because F4 often goes to Japan for events, the company hired a Japanese teacher for us a couple of years ago. I learned a bit from him, and I didn't expect to use it this time!"

"Meteor Garden" itself is adapted from the Japanese manga "Boys Over Flowers", so the TV series has a considerable influence there, and has also created a lot of F4 fans and support groups, so they will often interact with each other.

Wu Yuchen never expected that Huang Xiaoming's debut as F4 would also add a lot of talent to him.

He then jokingly asked, "If you played this role, you might lose a lot of your Japanese fans."

Huang Xiaoming immediately stated: "That's different! I can't forget history and the pain just because of my current celebrity status! Even if all my Japanese fans leave, I still want to play this role!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "It's good that you're aware of this! Alright, go back and prepare well, arrange your schedule, you'll be working with the crew for the next two months."

Huang Xiaoming was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed to Wu Yuchen, saying, "Thank you, Director Wu! Thank you, Teacher Wu!"

From the moment he entered the school, he wanted to act in Wu Yuchen's movies. Now, he has finally realized his wish and feels that he has been recognized in his acting career. How could he not be happy?
Wu Yuchen smiled as he watched Huang Xiaoming leave. With Huang Xiaoming's casting confirmed, the important roles were basically finalized, and he ultimately chose Chen Baoguo for the father role. He gave the actors five days, after which the crew would hold the opening ceremony.

……

"Reports have been released that Wu Yuchen's new film has a cast! Gong Li and Chen Baoguo will be the leading actors!"

Seeing Shu Chang's name on the list published in the newspaper, Yang Mi pouted. Yang Mi had acting experience from a young age, considered a child star, and had always dreamed of becoming one. She had also applied for the casting of "The Boy in Striped Pajamas," but hadn't even passed the audition, as they said she was too old, which left Yang Mi somewhat frustrated.

Both of them debuted as child stars, and she felt that she was no worse than Shu Chang. If she were two years younger, she might have been chosen!

What a pity, Yang Xiaomi gave birth two years too early!

As Yang Mi was reflecting on this, she glanced at another news item and was immediately struck by a bolt from the blue:
"Pop star Xie Tingfeng announces his retirement from the entertainment industry!"

"Ah! My Feng-ge!" Yang Mi couldn't help but waile. Xie Tingfeng was her favorite celebrity, and she was completely obsessed with him.

One thing must be admitted: Xie Tingfeng's looks were truly outstanding at this time. Coupled with the works specially created for him by Emperor Entertainment, which allowed him to show off his coolness in various ways, he had many fans in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and was even promoted as a Chinese pop star.

Many teenagers, especially girls, idolize celebrities based on their looks. If you put Jay Chou and Nicholas Tse together, almost everyone would choose Nicholas Tse; during this period, Jay Chou had a significantly higher proportion of male fans.

Yang Mi is a die-hard fan of Xie Tingfeng. That's how teenage girls are when they chase after celebrities; they don't care about his car accident or finding someone to take the blame.

Actually, if Xie Tingfeng's car accident had simply involved hitting a roadside guardrail and flowerbed, it wouldn't have been a serious incident; at most, he might have had to do some community service. However, Xie Tingfeng actually found an Emperor Entertainment driver to take the blame for him, and this was discovered. This caused a huge uproar, with everyone criticizing him. Unable to withstand the pressure, the young star had no choice but to announce his retirement from the entertainment industry to quell public anger.

The young pop star's retirement from the entertainment industry has also attracted widespread media coverage in mainland China, with many people rushing to interview Wang Fei, making it a hot topic of gossip.

This is actually normal practice in Hong Kong. Once the storm passes next year, Xie Tingfeng will likely make a comeback. However, Yang Mi has no idea at this point; seeing her idol about to retire from the entertainment industry is truly heartbreaking.

Just then, the phone rang at home.

"Honey, someone's looking for you!"

Yang Mi, looking like she was about to cry, walked over and picked up the phone: "Hello..."

After hearing just a few words, the girl's previously tearful face lit up with surprise: "Really? No problem, no problem, I'll be there on time!"

Seeing his daughter jumping around after finishing the phone call, Mr. Yang couldn't help but ask, "Mimi, what's up?"

"Dad, your daughter is going to be a big star!"

"What are you going to act in this time?" Yang's father wasn't surprised that his daughter was going out to film movies and TV series, after all, she had acted in quite a few since she was a child.

Yang Mi waved her hand, raised her chin, and said, "No, no, this time I'm going to sign a contract with Miracle Films! It's the Miracle Films that made 'Brotherhood of Blades,' Wu Yuchen's company. I'll be their contracted artist from now on!"

"Sign a contract?" Mr. Yang was genuinely surprised.

At this point, Yang's mother pressed further, "A signed artist? You're not going to school anymore?"

"Go for it! Signing a contract doesn't mean you can't go to school. You can film while you're studying! Let me tell you, Miracle Films is the most powerful company in China right now. So many people want to get in but can't!" Yang Mi was as smug as a little fox with its tail wagging.

However, she wasn't wrong. Miracle Films is undoubtedly the leading film and television company in China, unmatched in the entertainment industry. Huayi Brothers is simply no match for it.

Nowadays, actors and artists in the entertainment industry are scrambling to join Miracle Films, and the competition for related projects, whether movies or TV series, is extremely fierce.

Of course, this "industry insider" refers not only to actors but also to many behind-the-scenes personnel. Miracle Films offers very generous compensation to its internal staff, such as screenwriters, directors, and producers, and has established a reasonable incentive system. Good works are rewarded, and there won't be situations where a project makes a lot of money, but the original creators don't receive a penny. This naturally sets a benchmark for the entire entertainment industry.

It's not just about the profit-sharing system for original production teams; there are also requirements regarding production costs. For example, in film and television dramas, actors' salaries cannot exceed 40% of the total production cost, and the salaries of the main actors cannot exceed 70% of the total salaries of all actors.

This system was naturally established by Wu Yuchen, who deeply understands the importance of behind-the-scenes creators. After ten years of development, the Chinese film and television industry has no shortage of actors; what it lacks are good creators. The level of attention paid to other aspects such as costumes, props, and sets directly determines the quality of a work; in fact, the audience's perception of many works depends on the details.

While actors' salaries are still relatively low, let's establish this system and put the rules for dividing the pie out in the open. This can also be seen as setting a standard for the nascent Chinese entertainment industry.

Mr. and Mrs. Yang exchanged a glance, but they didn't seem as happy as Yang Mi.

Yang's mother said, "You child, why didn't you discuss such a big matter with us? Did you not plan to tell us unless we asked you?"

Her daughter has always been quite opinionated, which brings both joy and worry to the couple.

"Oh, Mom! I'm telling you right now~" Yang Mi quickly started to act cute towards her parents.

Subsequently, the family of three had a comprehensive discussion about Yang Mi's upcoming contract signing...

(End of this chapter)